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A definite improvement, although there are still plot holes right and left. First the preliminaries: Sylar tells Arthur he's not working for him anymore, and after burning Elle's corpse, he goes to see a woman who knows when people are lying. She tells him he's on the wrong path, but he kills her and takes her power anyway. Daphne superzips Ando and Matt to Manhattan in an attempt to find the messenger, and after some judicious use of Matt's mind mojo and a quick chase scene, they get hold of Isaac's sketches, which depict Hiro as being "lost in time." Nathan shows up to Pinehearst, where he discovers that Tracy is already in bed with his father, figuratively at least. He tells Arthur that he's taking over the Pinehearst operation, and Arthur accedes to this power play while knowing that Nathan is a fluffy bunny whom Tracy will run like a dogsled. Tracy then takes Nathan on a tour of their New Order, and Nathan is somewhat chagrined to discover that the military types they're training actually want to obtain mutant abilities.
But the best stuff happens in the past, as Claire and Hiro observe Kaito and Hiro's heretofore-unseen dying mother. Turns out Hiro's mother was the holder of the catalyst, and she wanted to pass that honor on to Hiro, but Kaito overruled her, opining that Hiro was too immature, and chose Claire instead. Also, Hiro's mom was a healer, and Hiro and Claire both get the idea to get Hiro's mother to repair the damage to his brain. Elsewhere in the past, Claire adopts a pseudonym and helps her mother with her younger self, in the process getting some info on what her dad was like back then, and then even meeting his super-suspicious ass in person. Claire exhorts her past dad to protect her younger self, and gets him not to take her in to become the catalyst. Meanwhile, Hiro confesses his true identity to his mother, and they have a touching, tearful reunion before she restores his memory and tells him how much she believes in him. He gets her to give him the catalyst, which is her last living act, and after everything they've put Masi Oka through this season I am so glad he got to do this excellent scene. However, Arthur turns up in the past (er, how did he know exactly when to show up?) to steal Hiro's powers and send him over the edge of the building -- but Hiro survives by grabbing onto a flagpole. Haaaaang on Hiro, Hiro hang on! Via Isaac's sketches, Hiro's friends in the present see his plight.
Back at Primatech, Angela gives Peter and The Haitian a gun with which to finish Arthur off. On the way, The Haitian tells Peter that he knows he's conflicted about offing his father, but Peter sucks it up and says he has to get rid of him for the good of the world. The two of them successfully infiltrate Pinehearst and are about to kill Arthur, but meanwhile, Sylar has showed up, and after getting in the right frame of mind by enduring some elevator music, he stops Peter's bullet from killing Arthur -- only to use his new power to ascertain Arthur isn't actually his father and kill him himself. The catalyst leaves Arthur's body, seemingly gone forever, but as The Haitian goes after Sylar, Nathan, Tracy, and Mohinder watch the effect of the new formula on one of the military guys -- which is to give him super-strength will seemingly no ill effects. Unless there's a Jessica inside him, but we'll have to wait and see about that.
Want more? The full recap starts right below! So after reliving a bit of what we saw at the end of the last episode (without Claire's "Holy sh...", because when a scene spans two episodes you can count on continuity to take a vacation) Claire and Hiro realize they're going to have a little difficulty chatting, since according to Hiro, the only English he learned in a semester involves finding trains, waffles, and places to take a dump. Well, he sounds like he's got some key building blocks for going on The Amazing Race, at least. They watch as Kaito instructs Hiro to follow him, only as he leaves, Young Hiro calls to his mother, which didn't happen in "Company Man," for sure. Regardless, it gets our Hiro's attention, and he chases after his younger self with a reluctant Claire in tow. Downstairs, he and Claire surreptitiously observe as Young Hiro puts an arm around his warm, laughing mother until Kaito reappears and sternly tells him to quit it, since his mother is ill. She says it's okay, but Hiro moves off and turns his attention back to his GameBoy as Kaito sits and asks his wife how she is. She switches to English as she sadly tells him that they must face the inevitable, and she thinks she'll pass on out of this world that night. "We must make arrangements for the catalyst, before it is lost forever." I'll point out just this once that getting rid of the catalyst would MAKE SENSE if they don't want the formula ever to be perfected. The discussion in English is lost on our Hiro, but Claire pays rapt attention as Kaito tries to hold it together, telling her nothing will be the same once she's gone. Hiro's mom ("Ishi" is how her name is listed) emotionally tells him he must think of the future, and after a moment of consideration, he solemnly tells her he'll have Bennet return with the baby. "She is the perfect candidate." Ishi looks at her son as she tells Kaito she wanted to keep the catalyst in the family, but Kaito tells her absolutely not, underscoring his onetime belief that Hiro was a useless moron who couldn't be trusted with anything. If only he'd see how effectively Hiro guarded the formula this season! Just then, Hiro notices that one of the doves they have in a cage in the room is looking on its way to being an ex-dove, and that reference will mean more to you if you're in, as I almost am, your ex-thirties. Ishi, with equal parts sadness and steel, tells Kaito their conversation isn't over yet, and then, after he withdraws, has Hiro place the motionless bird in her hands. Once it's lain there for a moment, though, she kisses it, and it stirs and comes back to full health, to everyone's delight. Hiro observes in wonder that his mother is a healer, and then there's a pretty funny bit where Claire and Hiro have simultaneous epiphanies and talk at each other without caring that they're not being understood -- Hiro realizes he can get his mother to heal the damage Arthur did to his brain, while Claire decides she needs to prevent the catalyst from being given to her infant self. By the way, I think I've become so inured to the time-travel stuff that I'm beyond caring at this point, but it doesn't mean I don't know that the way they do it doesn't make sense, ever. For example, when Claire succeeds in her mission here, the timeline should be reset, and a New Claire that doesn't remember anything about the catalyst should exist in her stead. Or possibly, there should be both an Old Claire and a New Claire in the present when she returns. But simply to make this change in the past and have the present then be exactly the same except that the catalyst is in a different host makes zero sense. Anyway, they split up, and once Claire's gone, Kaito catches Hiro, but mistakenly concludes he's the new chef, and Hiro plays along and heads to the kitchen. I hope there's no waffle batter in there, because I'm pretty sure Hiro wouldn't be able to resist, and that would make a pretty crappy last meal.
It's daytime on the beach, and Sylar is still wearing that ridiculous t-shirt. I mean, I know it's just a white shirt that's supposed to be covered in blood, but the pattern is too artsily calculated, and makes it look like something for which he paid too much at Diesel. Anyway, Arthur calls, and Sylar bluntly informs him that his services will no longer be offered. He goes on about Bennet telling him of Arthur's deception, earning an actual facial expression from Arthur, and then adds that he wants the truth -- he looks up a number for a woman named "Sue Landers" -- "and I know exactly where to find it." And having seen Sylar's phone, I know where to find some interesting names. Sparrow Redhouse? Tell me you didn't meet at a drag cabaret show in Chelsea, Sylar. Arthur tells Sylar to come see him, and Sylar replies, "Don't worry, I will. Very soon." And to emphasize the nature of that coming visit, after he hangs up, he dumps some lighter fluid (handy, that) on Elle's corpse and bids her goodbye, starting the fire by zapping her with her own power. Which was cool, but I could have done without the fire reflected in his eyes, because how many flaming things do we need around here? Title card.
At Primatech, Angela lays a large pistol on a table in front of Peter and The Haitian: "One shot to the back of the head, and it's done." Well, unless someone thinks to remove the bullet from his brain, but I can't imagine anyone actually wanting Arthur to come back to life. Peter actually says out loud, "You want me to kill him," and Angela's like, "Thanks for keeping up, genius." She clarifies that it's up to Peter because Nathan has switched his allegiance, although frankly between the two, I'd give the job to Peter anyway, given he's capable of sticking to a decision and that his future self shot his brother, while Nathan will change his mind based on the opinions of family members, friends, employees, imaginary people, detainees who only speak French, telemarketers, recorded "Attention K-Mart Shoppers" messages, and the more persuasive forms of lichen. The Haitian pipes up that Arthur is far too powerful for a less drastic option like containment to be effective, and Angela adds that if the tables were turned, Arthur wouldn't hesitate to kill either of his sons. Peter hesitates longer than he should, but eventually picks up the gun.
At Pinehearst, Tracy (still no explanation why she was just randomly at Primatech that time) is telling Arthur that the Department Of Defense is "on board," like, I know she's supposed to be connected and all, but isn't this a bit easy? Can a bureaucrat just pick up the phone and order some soldiers for dangerous and nefarious purposes? Was this in a Michael Moore documentary somewhere and I just missed it? Nathan enters, and after some forgettable preliminaries, tells his father that he agrees with his goals, but the world needs a leader, and that's not Arthur. "I'm taking over Pinehearst. The complete program." He says they can work out of his office and use his resources, as if he's spent enough time at the Capitol Building even to know where the bathrooms are. Arthur woodenly tells Nathan he made him, but Nathan counters that Arthur wouldn't have done so if he didn't need him, because this endgame is clearly what Arthur had in mind when he betrayed his son to a murderous dictator. Arthur, however, accedes to this "logic," and instructs Tracy to brief Nathan on what they've done so far...
...so in the hall, Nathan and Tracy pedeconference as she notes he's angry. He admits that, pointing out she went behind his back, but she assures him she's on his side before saying that Arthur wants to make the world a better place. They pass Flint and Knox (Flint healed pretty fast, considering it's like, the day), who are hanging out like The Little Rascals on a street corner, as Tracy tells Nathan he should be President, and she should be there with him. They walk on as Knox and Flint stare, as if anyone gives a crap about them. Where is Meredith?
Tracy leads Nathan into a room as she smiles that they like to call their program "intelligent design." I think she's being tongue-in-cheek here, not least because I can't imagine using the word "intelligent" to describe anything with which Mohinder is so heavily involved. Her point, though, is that they hope not only to give people powers without turning them into spiders, but actually to choose who gets what specific ability. She tells him, "Meet the future," and we pan over to a drill sergeant bringing a group of about fifty soldiers to attention. Nathan gives his usual conflicted face, but Tracy's all smiles. Given the ratio in the room, you can hardly blame her.
We're at the door of the Bennet apartment back in the past, as a harried Sandra arrives home holding a crying Baby Claire. As Claire appears behind her, Sandra struggles with her packages as she tries to find her keys, and Claire takes the opening to rush up and offer her assistance as she introduces herself as "Bonnie," a neighbor's niece. Sandra, whose hair is straight and who apparently just bought all the foundation the local Sephora had to offer and put every bit of it on, thanks "Bonnie" for the help, and then inside, Claire proceeds to change herself, which is vaguely unsettling, and Sandra sits down and confesses that she's completely unprepared, and has no idea how to take care of a baby. Claire offers to teach her a few things, which again is twisting time-travel logic, not the most stable entity in the universe at the best of times, into a tortured mess, before "casually" asking if Sandra's husband is good with kids. Sandra doesn't even bother to sugarcoat it, saying that Bennet works a lot and "apparently" is very good at what he does. Claire then hands her younger self to Sandra, who says that it's so strange -- she's only known Claire a few hours, and yet she's already in love with her. Claire smiles beatifically: "I think she knows that." They coo for a moment, but then Claire's countenance falls, and she tells Sandra not to let her out of her sight. Sandra asks what she means, but Claire thinks better of telling her anything and covers by saying she just meant she's going to grow up really fast. It's true -- soon she'll be jumping from scary heights and getting impaled by tree branches, and you'll think, "Where did the time go?"
We're at Sue Landers's place of employ, and it's her birthday! You'd think Sylar could at least jump out of a cake naked before he kills her (SPOILER!). After well wishes from her coworkers, Sue enters her office, which is filled with birthday stuff, to find Sylar, who says he's got a special delivery for her. However, after a camera-shiver and a dissonant sound effect, she tells him he's lying. Now, I know it seems necessary to reveal her power, but common sense would suggest that if he's lying, he's got some nefarious intent, so NOT CALLING HIM OUT might be the better part of valor. Backing me up, Sylar TKs the door shut and asks Sue questions about how her power works. Scared now, Sue asks how he knew about her, but Sylar doesn't answer, instead saying that he needs to know the truth about something. Sue demurs, strongly implying that her power has been more of a curse than a blessing, and Sylar picks up on that, but doesn't waver as he telekinetically throws her against the wall. He assures her that what he's about to do won't hurt a bit, but as her power kicks in again she knows he's lying and gasps in abject fear. He just gives a hilarious "Oopsie" face and offers, "Got me!" Heh. He kills her, and as Sylar's Theme Ticking returns from a long absence, he leans down and breathes, "I almost forgot how good this feels." I'm assuming he means taking another ability rather than merely slicing someone's head open, given that he did the latter, like, less than a day ago. I mean, I don't remember everything I did yesterday, but I think killing the girl I was pretending to bone would stand out. Just then, three of Sue's coworkers bust in with more presents, but their faces fall when they see Sylar kneeling over Sue's corpse. He stands, holding his hands out like a surgeon who just used blood to scrub up instead of water, and smiles: "Cake!" Sylar, ladies and gentlemen! He'll be here all week...but you won't! We switch to an outside view as the door flies shut, and while that scene was effective, I have to mourn the losses here. I mean, if offices generally had that positive an atmosphere, people would want to hang out in them more, no?
Nathan's interviewing the Marine who rates speaking pay, and learns that the man is under the impression he's to be injected with some kind of safe performance-enhancing drug. That makes me think of its potential application in sports -- don't you think baseball would be a lot more interesting if people superzipped around the bases or flew up in the air to catch pop-ups? Nathan haltingly tells the guy that the drug will permanently change his life in ways he can't even imagine, but the dude is on board with that, as he lost most of his unit in a showdown in Iraq, and he's beaten himself up since for not being better than simply human. Nathan gives this cornpone story his smiling seal of approval, like, an episode ago you felt the same way so strongly that you were willing to strand your powerless brother in a hostile jungle, and yet you just needed further convincing from another person you've never even met? Make this guy Commander In Chief, stat!
Daphne superzips Matt and Ando to Manhattan, and Ando complains that he likes teleporting better. "Less windy." I knew that was the explanation for Daphne's hair! Matt finds the surly dispatcher and tells him why they're there, and the shifty look the guy gets at the mention of Isaac's name is all we need to know, and Daphne and Matt soon also reach the conclusion that the guy is hiding something, prompting Matt to probe his mind and learn that not only does the guy know about the sketches, but he's also been "skimming off the top" to the tune of fifty-two hundred bucks so far this year. I use quotation marks because that's one of those expressions that drives me nuts -- you can't really skim off the bottom, regardless of what the plotlines on Dirty Sexy Money this season would have you believe. The guy tells them the sketches are in the safe in the back, and when he's gone, Ando expresses his glee before asking Daphne why she's been such an ally to Hiro recently. Daphne starts to explain that she's making amends, but Matt, nauseatingly, interrupts to say that she's doing it because it's the right thing to do, like, let her finish a damn sentence before you sound the trumpet of what a good person she is, you officious pantywaist. They then see the dispatcher biking away outside, and the boys freak out a bit before Daphne's like, "Did you forget how we got here already, morons?"
But in case you, too, don't know where this is going, we get some "dramatic" shots of the guy in traffic, until Daphne superzips past and then comes to a stop in his path with her arms folded on her chest and a bored look on her face. Heh. I so prefer "whatever" Daphne to watery, regretful Daphne, I cannot even tell you. The guy swerves to the side and rather impressively ends up tumbling up one side of a cab and down the other, and Daphne's face goes to whatever squared as she walks over to the guy, who concedes defeat. So did this scene play out like it was supposed to in the sketchbook, or what?
Hiro is wasting flour and eggs to the point where pastry chefs everywhere are in tears, so it's just as well when he hears his parents rehashing the stuff they were discussing earlier. Hiro's bummed to hear his dad opine yet again that Hiro will never amount to anything, like, way to sugarcoat things for your wife who has hours left to live, and then behind him, Hiro's younger self pipes up that they're talking about him, and his dad's probably right. Hiro turns back, and then his two selves hilariously push up their glasses and cock their heads in unison.
Speaking of interaction between different incarnations of the same person, Claire warns her infant self about a cute boy who will break her heart in fifth grade. "Whatever you do, do not share your juice with him." Hee. The show's making me laugh for the first time in ages! Even while I'm faced with Christmas shopping in this economy! Just then, however, an HRG-less Bennet arrives home and suspiciously asks Claire just who she is, and, clearly unsatisfied with her answer, then takes his wife, who's just emerged from setting up the nursery, aside to upbraid her for leaving the baby alone with a stranger. We don't hear what they're saying, but Sandra eventually withdraws, and then Bennet returns and, after informing Claire he knows her cover story is a lie, asks what the hell she wants. We go to commercial before we hear her answer, but I hope she realizes the steel in her father's eyes means this is an exceptionally poor time to ask for a pony.
After the break, Claire is assuring Bennet that she's there to protect them. After Sandra worriedly reappears and Bennet kicks her out again, Claire tells him that she knows he's a Company man and Claire is his assignment, and because of that, he can't let himself love her. Bennet wonders if she's a mind-reader (and probably if she's his partner) but she tells him no before going on that the baby will be in his life for at least sixteen more years (which really should clue Bennet in to who "Bonnie" is) and she's going to need him to protect her from many, many things. Again, after this speech, Claire shouldn't be able to pop back to the present like nothing happened, but let's move on to where the phone rings and Claire begs Bennet not to answer, because if he does, he'll end up bringing the baby back to The Company, and they'll do something to her that will "change everything." Or nothing. Or somewhere between those extremes. Definitely one of those, though. Claire goes on to tell Bennet and his deep blue eyes that "Claire-Bear" will be fine just the way she is, and Bennet, after voicing approval of the nickname with a smile, puts down the phone. Claire thanks him, and even though I don't think he actually Gets It here, it's still a nice moment.
So all Hiro's managed to make is a few tiny waffles for his mother, although it's true she probably doesn't have much of an appetite from the unspecified terminal disease with which she's saddled. But even if her power doesn't work on herself, as it seems, maybe they could track down another healer to cure her, like, oh, I don't know, LINDERMAN? But I don't want to detract from the upcoming scene, so Hiro sadly apologizes for not knowing how to make the dish she wanted, but Ishi brightens anyway, saying waffles are her son's favorite. She goes on that she's not very hungry, to Hiro's great pain, but when she focuses on him, a change comes over her as she says he's very familiar. This is all Hiro can take, and he confesses, "You're my mommy." Look, I'm not made of stone, here, although Ishi's initial response of "Eh?" is pretty funny. Hiro goes on that he travels through time and space, and although he's not sure how his power works, he knows that she's his mother, and he loves her. Ishi's face hurts to look at as she smiles through tears and repeats his name, and they joyfully embrace. She marvels at how grown up he is, but when she asks him to tell her everything about his life, he has to explain about his lapsed memory, although when she asks who did it to him, he refrains from mentioning Arthur by name. He goes on to ask if she can heal him, and she smiles as she says she'll try, and instructs him to come closer. He leans forward, and she plants a loving kiss on his forehead. He looks dazed for a few moments, and she anxiously asks if it worked. Hiro: "Yes, Mother. I remember everything. I remember how much I miss you." Okay, that just about killed me. They embrace anew, and she asks him again to tell her about his life. He tells her he saved the world on two separate occasions, and she smiles that she always knew he was destined for greatness. She's not exactly making Angela look like Mother Of The Year, is she? Ishi is also gratified to hear that Hiro and Kaito end up mending their fences and growing to love and respect each other, but her smile fades when Hiro asks her to give him the catalyst. She tells him about Kaito's plan to give it to Claire, but Hiro practically begs her, saying he knows he can defend it. She smiles once more: "I've always believed in you, my son." She takes his hands, and a pure and perfect light rises out of her and into him. As he looks at it in wonder, Ishi tells him she's so proud of him, but the life is flowing out of her by the second, and moments later when Hiro looks back at her, she's gone. He calls her name a couple times before bowing his head and bidding her a tearful farewell, and it's nice of them to give me a commercial break here, because it's hard to recap when you can't see the screen.
So after all the touching emotion and excellent acting of that last scene, it's nice of them to give us Peter as a palate-cleanser. He and The Haitian are sitting in traffic, and The Haitian characteristically isn't one for small talk: "To kill one's own father is a horrible thing." Geez, The (that is his surname, right?), we don't need any more wishy-washiness from the Petrelli sons here. His point, though, is just that -- there's a part of Peter that doesn't want to kill his dad, so he should make things easier on himself and let The Haitian do it instead. Peter, however, says that Arthur is his responsibility, just as Samedi was The Haitian's. They drive off, through downtown Manhattan, and even if you flew into JFK, Peter, you're from New York! Go through Staten Island to get to Fort Lee!
Sylar gets into an elevator, and while he had put on a clean shirt before he visited Sue, he hasn't changed since, so he's got a shirt that's stained differently but just as artificially, and I hope the wardrobe people got a two-for-one discount, at least. As jaunty muzak plays, he regards the only other passenger, an Asian guy who looks extremely nervous, possibly due to the fact that Sylar looks like he took a post-prom roll in the hay with Carrie White. He asks the guy if anything's wrong, and when he gets a negative, his new power kicks in, of which he observes, "Does kind of tingle." The guy looks like he does not want to know, and I can't say I blame him. Funny little scene, though.
Back at the messenger house, the dispatcher has recovered from his little stunt, and has also retrieved the sketchbook, which he says he found in the messenger's locker after he was canned. Oh, didn't see that one coming, did you, messenger? Seriously, though, this comic thing is so unbelievably dumb. If the future's set the way Isaac drew it, why are they bothering to find it and act it out? Wouldn't it come to pass regardless? And if it isn't set in stone, shouldn't they be trying to change the eventualities they don't want to come to pass? Whatever, anything to do with time on this show is just completely fucked, moving on. Anyway, Daphne opens the book and sees a drawing of Hiro with the caption: "Lost In Time." They pointlessly chat about what that means, before Matt turns the page and sees a drawing of a girl...
...which fades into a shot of Claire looking out from the terrace at night. Real dynamic and important moment for Isaac to include in his sketchbook! Claire then looks behind her and sees a figure in the door, which is eerily reminiscent of Kaito looking back and seeing Adam right before he died, a little touch I liked. Hiro comes out and solemnly tells Claire they can go home now, and that he's got the catalyst now, but it turns out that Arthur has just popped in behind Hiro, and they don't even bother insulting us by trying to explain because this one doesn't make sense even in the Jenga-like "logic" of the Heroes-verse. Anyway, after wasting precious seconds staring like a slackjawed yokel, Hiro tries to pop out of there, but Arthur grabs and draws him forward with an invisible grip, and thieves the catalyst and his powers away before tossing him off the side of the building. So besides the ridiculousness of Arthur knowing to turn up here, two things: Why didn't Arthur take his powers and kill him back in Africa instead of exposing us to the ten-year-old "storyline"? And after the incredibly touching scene with Hiro and his mother, in which the biggest point was her belief in him, was it necessary for him to lose the catalyst almost as quickly as he lost the formula? Anyway, Arthur then comes close to Claire and tells her he needs a message delivered. "Tell Angela it's over." Won't Claire need to serve her with papers for that? Anyway, he pops her out of there and then disappears himself, but we stay with the overhead shot and pan right to reveal Hiro, wrapped around a flagpole and hanging on for dear life...
...which fades into one of Isaac's drawings. Ando is despondent, but Matt and Daphne realize that now that Arthur has the catalyst, the formula will be perfected, which will make it possible to give another person time-traveling powers. Ando volunteers himself, about which I have mixed feelings: Ando's awesome just the way he is, but it would be nice for someone with half a brain to show Hiro how his powers should be used, you know? Also, it would be interesting if Hiro remained without powers, so their roles would be truly reversed. Anyway, Ando wonders how they can find the formula...
...which is our cue to go back to Pinehearst. Mohinder's made an economy-size serving of Jell-O, which also happens to be the "formula" everyone's on about, and when Arthur enters, Mohinder, Tracy, and Nathan watch in anticipation as Arthur disseminates the catalyst into the goo. Once he's done, he asks Nathan if he's ready to change the world, and Nathan looks at him balefully, because no one's held his hand about this idea in the last three minutes. Or maybe he suddenly remembered that his dad tried to kill him that time. Commercial.
At Pinehearst, The Haitian uses his power to knock out the ONE security guard in the entire lobby, and then he and Peter board the elevator. The dramatic score precludes our hearing the muzak again, which is kind of a shame.
Tracy tells Mohinder they'll need fifty "doses" for the Marines, like they'd even know how much was in a "dose" at this point, and Nathan suggests the far more prudent course of trying it on one guy first. He doesn't add "Shut up, Tracy," but that's what I'm here for. He then notices that Arthur has a thinky face on and asks what's up, and Arthur tells him, "Just a minor inconvenience. You're not too attached to your brother, right?" He instructs them to proceed before stepping out into the hallway...
...where he greets Peter. He actually seems conciliatory until Peter levels the gun at him, whereupon he tells him not to be ridiculous, and tries to wave the weapon away, to no effect. So Arthur knew Nathan and Peter went to get The Haitian, yet he's surprised at his presence now? I'm starting to see where the kids got their brains. Anyway, The Haitian appears from hiding, and Arthur has a moment of genuine fear before telling Peter he doesn't think he has the nerve to kill him. Can't see what offering that opinion is going to gain him, but as I just mentioned, he's dumb. Peter cocks the gun.
So despite the fact that Arthur left them approximately 3.7398 seconds ago, the rest of them already have the speaking Marine set up in a chair, his wrists cuffed. Nathan acts all tortured again, which I am so over in case I hadn't made that clear, before instructing Mohinder to go ahead. He enters the glass cage holding the Marine, who understandably gets kind of freaked out when he sees Mohinder's skin, but Mohinder injects him anyway. After a few moments, he starts shaking uncontrollably...
...while outside, The Haitian is starting to sweat from the effort of holding back Arthur's powers, and Arthur, sensing the tide turning, offers Peter his abilities back if he'll just chill out with the gun. The Haitian, on the verge of collapse, urges Peter to shoot, but Peter hesitates, prompting Arthur to sneer that hesitation has always been his problem. He asks how Peter could be his son, and he finally breaks The Haitian's control and telekinetically slashes Peter across the face just as Peter fires. But the bullet stops in midair, as Sylar steps out of the shadows, and when Peter points the gun at him, he simply waves it away. Okay, so it's not clear exactly what's going on here, power-wise. The Haitian is back on his feet, so presumably he's still containing Arthur's powers to some degree. On top of that, I'm guessing Sylar is maybe holding Arthur in place as well as the bullet, or doing something to augment The Haitian's efforts. Not sure it totally makes sense, but I'm willing to go with it. Anyway, Sylar asks Arthur if he's really his father, and Arthur says yes, but Sylar's new power reveals Arthur's mendacity. Sylar turns to Peter and says he's not a killer. "But I am." Just like that, he propels the bullet into Arthur's brain, and that, I pray, is the end of one of the worst-executed villains in memory. Wow, did he suck, and I'm not talking about his ability. Peter's eyes dart to the gun, but Sylar tells him he's not going to kill him. "You don't have anything I need anymore." It would be both funny and sadly believable if Peter were to argue the point. Sylar bails, and soon after, Peter asks The Haitian to pursue him. When he's gone, the catalyst exits Arthur's body, now gone forever if Ishi was correct. And I hope that's the case, because what a stupid idea. Peter says aloud, "It's over..."
...which is of course our cue to get back to the Marine, who busts his way out of his wrist restraints before he finally stops convulsing. Mohinder asks him how he feels, and by way of answering, he gets to his feet, rips the bolted chair out from the floor, and throws it through the glass, before unnecessarily adding, "I feel good." James Brown would just be tickled pink. week: Chapter finale time! See you then!
John Ramos is a writer and producer living in Los Angeles. You can reach him at couchbaron@gmail.com.
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